Hope for Life Pregnancy Center has open house

By Thomas Nelson, tnelson@charlescitypress.com

There’s a new pregnancy center in town.

Located at 705 N. Main St., the Hope For Life Pregnancy Center had its open house Monday afternoon.

“We offer free services,” said center Executive Director June Temple.

That includes pregnancy testing and prenatal and post-abortive counseling, Temple said. The center will also offer ultrasounds soon. The open house was the start of a Hope For Life fundraiser to train staff to use the ultrasound machine.

Temple and assistant director Lynelle Shirk have worked together since around February to get the center open.

Shirk helpsout with volunteer services and anything that needs to get done.

The ultrasound machine was donated to the center by Flutter Effect, an organization that helps get ultrasound machines to pro-life organizations.

“The training is for two women, two nurses,” Temple said. “It costs $1,000 a day for the trainer, and she’s there for five days.”

The fundraising will also cover the trainer’s stay and airfare, Temple said.

The process to open up the pregnancy center has taken about four years of fundraising and organizing, Temple said, including moving into a new location when the offices at 705 N. Main St. became available.

“We had to get everything in order,” Temple said.

The Hope For Life organization has been around for about a year and a half, and is a 501C3 non-profit, Temple said.

“Our main goal would be to see families stay connected and for the women to understand what they really want,” Temple said. “Life for them, but life for their baby, too.”

The organization’s mission statement says Hope for Life Pregnancy Center is a Christ-centered, pro-life ministry, committed to sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ and upholding the sanctity of human life by providing compassionate, life-affirming services to women, men and their families facing an unplanned pregnancy and related issues, according to the group’s Facebook page.

Temple said she wants to give pregnant women a support system if they don’t have one.

“We’re going to be a support system, but we also want them plugged into a church,” Temple said.

“Hope For Life” is affiliated with every church in the community, Temple said.

“We are under a Care-net organization,” Temple said. Care-net is a national organization that works with pregnancy centers around the country and is centered in Washington, D.C.

Care-net’s goal is to share the Gospel with anyone considering abortion, according to its website.

There are 1,400 pregnancy centers partnered with Care-net, Temple said.

The Charles City center also offers counseling services.

“The girls will let us know what they need,” Temple said. “We’ve done all of our reaching out into the community trying to get the organizations lined up.”

The center works with expecting mothers, and women who could be pregnant.

“We’ll also have Bible studies,” Temple said.

The center is also part of the “Baby Bucks” program that offers credit toward baby and children’s supplies to women for looking for a job, going to pregnancy centers and going to doctor’s appointments, Temple said.

“Like diapers, wipes, clothes — everything,” Temple said. “It’s all donated.”

“Hope For Life” is also working on a possible 5K to raise money as well, Temple said.